The modern mass production assembly and fabrication of molded plastic dolls and toy figures has become a major factor in providing high quality, low cost doll and toy figure products. The use of molded plastic components makes possible the provision of extremely precise, highly detailed and accurate components for doll or toy figure fabrication. In addition, the assembly of dolls or toy figures from molded components also provides a ready mechanism for including articulated joints within the doll. Thus, for example, dolls and toy figures are readily provided which have movable limbs and heads further adding to the play value of the doll or toy figure. One of the primary objectives toward which practitioners in the art direct their design efforts is the avoidance of fasteners or adhesive attachment in the assembly of such dolls or toy figures. It has been found that fasteners in particular are costly and represent potential safety hazards in many instances due their capability to become dislodged and swallowed by young children. Adhesive attachments have often been found to be subject to fatigue and breakage prematurely terminating the useful life of an otherwise high quality doll or toy figure.
To minimize or preferably eliminate the use of such fasteners and adhesive attachments, practitioners often resort to the use of snap-in type joints. Thus, for example, it is quite common for a modern mass-produced doll or toy figure to have the head as well as the arm and leg appendages snap-fit attached to the doll torso. It has been found that the head attachment in a snap-fit manner has been subject to particular difficulties and limitations. Generally, doll fabricators include a head post component which is received within the upper torso cavity of the doll and extends through an upper aperture forming the doll neck. The head is then secured to the upper end of the attachment post. Often the head is formed of two mating parts joined to captivate the head post and complete the head attachment. In the face of difficulties in attaching the doll's head, practitioners in the art have provided various apparatus. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,453 issued to Taluba sets forth an APPENDAGE SUCH AS A DOLL'S HEAD, A METHOD FOR BLOW MOLDING SAME OF ELASTOMER MATERIAL, AND A METHOD FOR SECURING SAME TO A BODY in which a doll head is formed of an elastomer material and is blow molded to include a downwardly extending annular lip having a semi-cylindrical groove at the front of the neck. The lip is constructed to fold inwardly and to engage a bead or flange on the neck portion of the body thereby securing the head to the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,880 issued to Kaelin, et al. sets forth DOLL JOINT STRUCTURES used for connecting the limbs of a toy figure or doll to the torso. The torso defines a plurality of concave sockets which in turn receive an attachment post having a coupling to the appendage. The appendage includes a ball portion received within the socket to provide pivotal attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,451 issued to Kawada, et al. sets forth a DOLL WITH NECK DETACHABLY SECURED BETWEEN OPPOSED BABY MEANS PORTIONS in which an articulated toy doll arrangement includes a head, a body, arms and legs and a neck means interconnecting the head to the body. The mounting of the neck means for head connection to the body is such that at least rotational movement of the head relative to the body is provided. The body portion defines a socket which receives a ball supported upon a post extending downwardly from the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,756,540 issued to Cleaver sets forth a DOLL REMOVABLE HEAD having a torso supporting an upwardly extending resilient spring clasp from the neck thereof. A plurality of doll heads each defining hollow interior cavities and a transversely extending post are snap-fitted to the torso by engaging the resilient clasp.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,873 issued to Taylor sets forth a DOLL WITH REMOVABLE OR INTERCHANGEABLE HEADS in which a doll torso defines a downwardly extending passage which receives a correspondingly shaped downwardly extending post supported on the underside of the doll head. Engagement means within the torso secure the head post to the torso interior.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,276 issued to Kosicki, et al. set forth a DOLL INCLUDING A JOINT MEMBER WITH FILLING OPENING AND GAS VENT THEREIN in which appendages are secured to a doll torso using a snap-fit attachment which further defines an interior passage through each attachment element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,200 issued to VonMoltke sets forth a DOLL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD THEREFOR having a head defining an interior cavity and a neck passage therethrough. The torso defines an upwardly extending flexible sleeve within which a ball is captivated. The sleeve connects the ball and shoulders of the torso to secure the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,129 issued to Dunn, et al. sets forth a MAKING OF MAKING MINIATURE DOLL HEADS in which an oversized head is formed of a shrinkable plastisol including a plasticizer and in which facial features are applied to the head using a shrinkable paint. The head is reduced in size by extracting the plasticizer from the plastisol forming a miniature head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,873 issued to Abbat sets forth an ARTICULATED DOLL JOINT for movably connecting proximal and distal workpieces such as limbs of a doll or mannequin. The attachment includes a first shank having first positioning means at one of its ends and a second positioning means at its other end. The first positioning means and second positioning means are movably connected by means of a joint molded thereabout.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,960 issued to DePorteous sets forth a MODEL CONSTRUCTION in which a model skeleton comprises a plurality of interconnected members with hinge joints joining at least some of the adjacent members for articulation. Each hinge joint has a pair of projections engaging the wall portion of an adjacent member for relative rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,324 issued to Ryaa, et al. sets forth a TOY FIGURE BALL AND SOCKET JOINT in which one joined member defines a socket while the other supports a ball sized to fit within the socket. To ensure long term frictional stability between the movable parts, the socket portion includes a pair of opposed walls engaging the ball face.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,976 issued to Benchaar, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,580 issued to Henkel set forth various ball and socket joints used in industries unrelated to the toy figure industry.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have provided some improvement in the art and in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, effective and low cost methods and apparatus for assembling dolls and toy figures.